This article gives an overview of Liberalism () in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. It is limited to

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

with substantial support, mainly proven by having had a representation in parliament. Historically, the liberal movement in the South Korean began as a 'moderate right-wing' movement against far-right dictatorship, but in the current political structure of the South Korea in the 2020s, it has become a 'moderate

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

' against the right-wing conservative movement. The

Democratic Party of Korea The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK; ), formerly known as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), is a liberal political party in South Korea. Controlling the unicameral National Assembly as of 2022, the DPK is regarded as one of two m ...

is a "

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

-liberal" party and is considered "

centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The ...

" party, also, the Justice Party is considered a "centre-left" or " leftist-liberal" party. There are various political positions within South Korean liberals, but they tend to be mostly common in diplomacy: promoting harmony with

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

, justice against Japan, and, wherever possible, autonomy from great power interference, including that of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. South Korean liberalism is also based on a

national liberal National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism). A seri ...

tradition based on the Korean independence movement against China and Japan.

Introduction

The word "

" in South Korea is often used in its traditional sense. In South Korea,

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

also call themselves "liberal" () and "liberal democracy" () in a similar sense to

economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberali ...

and

anti-communism Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

. "Liberals" in the general sense often refer to themselves as "Democrats", "''Ribeoreol''" (, the Korean pronunciation of the English "liberal") or "Democratic Camps" (). In South Korea, "liberal" () and "progressive" () are political forces with individual traditions, but when translating "

" in the United States into Korean language, it is often translated into " progressive". The Justice Party officially supports

social democracy Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...

, but since it is a party that inherited the political stake of the Uri Party, it is regarded as part of the South Korean progressive political party tradition and at the same time as part of the liberal political party tradition. In South Korea, the terms "liberal," "

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

," " libertarian," and " freedom" all tend to be translated into ''Jayu'' (). For example, in South Korea, both Canada's "

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

", Netherlands' " Party for Freedom" and the United States' "

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

" are read as ''Jayudang'' () in Korean. Also, right-wing socially conservative media in South Korea regard the American tradition of right-libertarianism as progressive because it is

culturally liberal Cultural liberalism is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, it is often expressed a ...

. The main diplomatic point that defines liberalism in South Korea is "independence" (독립). Modern South Korean liberals are relatively more friendly to

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

and

multiculturalism The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

than

. However, South Korean liberals have a more

nationalistic Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: T ...

nature based on anti-imperialism in matters related to neighboring powers such as the China and Japan. The anti-China

Gaehwa Party The Gaehwa Party () was a Korean liberal and progressive party founded after the Imo Incident. They were also called the Independence Party of Joseon, the Innovation Party of Joseon, and the Reformist Faction. They tried to cut off the submissiv ...

Independence Club The Independence Association (독립협회, 獨立協會) was founded through the initiative of Philip Jaisohn (Seo Jae-pil) on July 2, 1896. At its founding it was recognized by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite some remarkable ac ...

at the end of the 19th century, and the anti-Japan Korean independence movement during the Japanese colonial era, formed Korea's early liberalism. On the other hand, Korea's conservative elites cooperated with neighboring powers such as China and Japan for practical reasons. In Modern South Korean politics, where

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

and

anti-Americanism Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment) is prejudice, fear, or hatred of the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Political scientist Brendon O'Connor at the United States Studies Centr ...

were thoroughly suppressed, conservatives who conform to the powers and liberals who have resisted Chinese/Japanese imperialism may differ in degree, but paradoxically, both camps have resulted in pro-American tendencies. To this day, South Korean liberals haven't forgiven conservative elites who cooperated with Chinese/Japanese imperialism. South Korean liberals were proud of the history of resisting Park Chung-hee's right-wing dictatorship, who served as an officer during the Japanese Empire. South Korean major liberals mainly criticize mainstream conservatives, clear their heritage during military dictatorship, insist on political reform, supports the foreign policy of reconciliation with North Korea, and eventual reunification of the two countries. They are distinguished from progressives and cultural liberals. Therefore, South Korean some liberals tend to be

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

Disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

and

minority rights Minority rights are the normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or gender and sexual minorities, and also the collective rights accorded to any minority group. Civil-rights movements ...

issues. (The socially conservative tendency of South Korean liberals is not traditional

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

based on

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...

, but is more influenced by

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, which is part of

Western culture Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

.) They also tend to distance themselves from the (Including social democracy) "

" or fundamental "

". On the domestic front, they advocated the breaking-up of the

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...

of the large industrial conglomerates known as chaebols. They also proposed the redelegation of investigative powers of the prosecutor's office over to the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

, as they viewed them as powerful political tools.

History

During the colonial period, Marxist historian Paek Nam-un evaluated '' Silhak'' as "pioneer of early modern period liberalism," while Ahn Jae-hong, a liberal nationalist, evaluated Silhak and Silhak scholar

Jeong Yak-yong Jeong Yak-yong (August 5, 1762 – April 7, 1836) or Chong Yagyong, often simply known as ‘Dasan’ (茶山, one of his ‘ho’ / pen-names meaning ‘the mountain of tea’), was a Korean agronomist, philosopher, and poet. He was one of the ...

as "the origin of late modern period liberalism by presenting elimination of (feudal) class and support for equality". ''Silhak'' criticized the existing Confucian conservatism and ''

Sadaejuui ''Sadaejuui'' (lit. "thing-big-ism", meaning: "serving-the-Great ideology"; Hangul: 사대주의, Hanja: 事大主義, ) is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from a more widely used historical concept.Armstr ...

'', aiming for

political reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

and

pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. ...

, and also argued for the superiority of Western science and technology. Some ''Silhak'' scholar also believed in

. Korea's first

classical liberal Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, econom ...

and Enlightenmentists party was the

, which appeared in 1874. They aimed for radical political and social reform, cut off unequal relations with the powerful

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

and tried to create a completely independent

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

, and led by Seo Jae-pil in 1896 was a practical successor to the Gaehwa Party. Influenced by Japanese liberalism, they showed pro-Japanese tendencies, but at the same time insisted on independent and independent Korea. In the 1900s, classical liberals and Enlightenmentists in Korea were largely divided into two groups. Some became ''

Chinilpa ''Chinilpa'' ( ko, 친일파, lit. "pro-Japan faction") is a derogatory Korean language term that denotes ethnic Koreans who collaborated with Imperial Japan during the protectorate period of the Korean Empire from 1905 and its colonial rule in ...

'' who cooperated with Japan, and others who devoted themselves to the Korean independence movement. During the colonial era, Korean liberalism is closely related to the Korean independence movement. South Korean historians say that the

March 1st Movement The March 1st Movement, also known as the Sam-il (3-1) Movement (Hangul: 삼일 운동; Hanja: 三一運動), was a protest movement by Korean people and students calling for independence from Japan in 1919, and protesting forced assimilation ...

, which took place in 1919, affected

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

and

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

in South Korea as a movement involving many Koreans regardless of gender, religion, or occupation. The Republic of Korean Provisional Government, established thanks to the value of the March 1st Movement, has established a modern national system in name and reality by introducing the separation of powers of government, parliament, and judiciary based on freedom and equality, and common elections including women. (However, since it was located in Shanghai, China, it was more of a Korean independence movement organization than a korean government.) After the end of Japanese colonial rule, with the inauguration of the Republic of Korea government, the word "liberal" has been used in South Korea for a while in a similar sense to anti-communism and anti-socialism. That's why not only ideological liberals but also hard-line conservatives and far-right anti-communists called themselves "liberal." A case in point was the "

", a South Korean far-right national-conservative party influenced by Shōwa Statism, German and Italian fascism. In particular, Syngman Rhee, the first president of the Liberal Party, committed authoritarian rule and election fraud based on Ilminism, an anti-liberal individual worship ideology from 1948 to 1960, and liberals and students who opposed it caused

April Revolution The April Revolution ( ko, 4.19 혁명), also called the April 19 Revolution or April 19 Movement, were mass protests in South Korea against President Syngman Rhee and the First Republic from April 11 to 26, 1960 which led to Rhee's resigna ...

. This was the first successful liberal revolution in South Korea. Due to the April Revolution (1960), Syngman Rhee stepped down from his presidency, the first liberal democratic government in South Korea was established, and the presidential system was converted to a parliamentary cabinet system. However, South Korean liberal democracy collapses in less than a year in a 1961 military coup caused by Major Park Chung-hee. Since then, South Korea has suffered from more than 20 years of military dictatorship. Until South Korea was fully democratized in 1988, there have been several democratization movements, including Bu-Ma Democratic Protests and

Gwangju Uprising The Gwangju Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, from May 18 to May 27, 1980, which pitted local, armed citizens against soldiers and police of the South Korean government. The event is sometimes called 5·18 (M ...

. South Korea was democratized in 1987, but it was in 1998 that liberals changed their regime. Since the

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (; ; 6 January 192418 August 2009), was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. He was a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work for democracy and human ...

administration in 1998, South Korean liberals are actively supporting the

Sunshine Policy The Sunshine Policy () is the theoretical basis for South Korea's foreign policy towards North Korea. Its official title is The Reconciliation and Cooperation Policy Towards the North (), and it is also known as The Operational Policy Towards the ...

, to promote peace and reconciliation through economic aid and co-operation, or “South-North economic co-operation” (남북경협).

Liberal parties

The political party that once were

ruling party The ruling party or governing party in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, in the case of parliamentary systems, or holding the executive ...

are in bold.

Minjudangkye tradition

In South Korea, South Korean's unique

and korean nationalist parties are often referred to as ''Minjudangkye'' parties (). In South Korea, usually "liberal" political parties mean "Minjudangkye" parties.

Mainstream parties

* Christian Social Democratic Party → Korea Democratic Party (1945–1949) * Democratic Nationalist Party (1949–1955) * Democratic Party (1955–1961; Governing period: 1960–1961) * New Democratic Party → Civil Rights Party → Civilian's Party (1960–1967; Governing period: 1961–1962) * New Democratic Party (1967–1980) * Democratic Korea Party (1981–1988) ** New Korean Democratic Party → Reunification Democratic Party (1985–1990) * New Korean Democratic Party (1984–1988) * Peace Democratic Party → New Democratic Unionist Party (1987–1991) *

Reunification Democratic Party The Reunification Democratic Party (, RDP) was a political party of South Korea from 1987 to 1990. The party was established in April 1987 by Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam, splitting from the New Korean Democratic Party. The party faced another ...

(1987–1990) * Democratic Party (1991–1995) * Democratic Party → National Congress for New Politics (1995–2000; Governing period: 1998–2000) * Millennium Democratic Party → Democratic Party (2000–2008; Governing period: 2000–2003) * Uri Party (2002–2007; Governing period: 2004–2007) * Grand Unified Democratic New Party (2007–2008; Governing period: 2007-2008) * United Democratic Party → Democratic Party (2008–2011) * Democratic United Party → Democratic Party (2011–2014) * New Politics Alliance for Democracy → Minjoo Party → Democratic Party (since 2014; Governing period: since 2017) ** Platform Party (satellite party for the 2020 election) ** People's Party (2016–2018, splinter party) ** Bareunmirae Party (2018–2020, splinter party) ** Minsaeng Party (since 2020, splinter party)

Minor parties

* Democratic Party (1963–1965) * Democratic Unification Party (1973–1980) *

Civil Rights Party Civil may refer to: *Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights *Civil disobedience *Civil engineering *Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a membe ...

(1981–1985) * Democratic Party (1990–1991) * Democratic Party (1995–1997) * Democratic Party (2007–2008) * The Participation Party (2010–2011) * New Political Vision Party (2014) * Minjoo Party (2014–2016) * Party for Democracy and Peace (2018–2020) :* New Alternatives (2020) * Open Democratic Party (2020–2022) * Future Democratic Party (since 2020) * Platform Party (2020) ** Transition Korea (since 2020) ** Basic Income Party (since 2020)

Non-Minjudangkye

In South Korea, these political parties are not often referred to as general "liberal" in Korean language, but in an international context, they are clearly referred to as "

" political parties. *

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

(1956–1958) * Creative Korea Party (2007–2012) * Unified Progressive Party (2011-2012) * People Party (2016–2018) * Grand National Unity Party (2017–2018) * Bareunmirae Party (2018–2020) * Justice Party (since 2012) * Dawn of Liberty Party (since 2019) * Transition Korea (since 2020) * Basic Income Party (since 2020) * People Party (2020–2022) * Minsaeng Party (since 2020)

Liberal media in South Korea

Hankook Ilbo ''Hankook Ilbo'' () is a Korean-language daily newspaper in Seoul, South Korea. As of 2017, it had a daily circulation of about 213,200. It was previously published by the Hankook Ilbo Media Group, however following an embezzlement scandal i ...

- centrist, classically liberal **

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

(English-language newspapers) *

Kyunghyang Shinmun The ''Kyunghyang Shinmun'' or ''Kyonghyang Sinmun'' is a major daily newspaper published in South Korea. It is based in Seoul. The name literally means '' Urbi et Orbi Daily News''.

- centre to centre-left, liberal *

The Hankyoreh ''The Hankyoreh'' (, literally "The Korean Nation" or "One Nation") is a centre-left liberal daily newspaper in South Korea. It was established in 1988 after widespread purges forced out dissident journalists, and was envisioned as an alternat ...

- centre-left, socially liberal ** Cine21 (film magazine) * OhmyNews - liberal-leaning, progressive liberal

Liberal organizations

In South Korea, 'political liberalism' and 'non-political liberalism' are distinguished. Therefore, the groups listed below may not be directly related to a particular political party or political power.

Civil rights organizations

* ASUNARO: Action for Youth Rights of Korea - Student rights * Chingusai - LGBT rights * Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination - Disability rights *

Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea (; SLRK) is an LGBT rights and counselling organization created on September 9, 1997 in Seoul, South Korea. The current representative of the organization is Kwak Yi-kyong. Former representatives of the g ...

- LGBT rights

Labour organizations

* Federation of Korean Trade Unions * Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (factions) - There are also non-liberal/socialists within the KCTU. ** Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (factions)

Libertarian organizations

South Korean libertarians define themselves as ''Jayujuuija'' (자유주의자). But South Korean center-left liberals also define themselves as ''Jayujuuija'', so it is important in what context the South Korean political term is used * Center for Free Enterprise - libertarian/conservative

Nationalist (liberal-nationalist) organizations

Voluntary Agency Network of Korea VANK (반크), an acronym for Voluntary Agency Network of Korea ( ko, 사이버 외교사절단), is an Internet-based South Korean organization funded by the Korean government and established in 1999, consisting of 120,000 South Korean members an ...

Other

* Korea Democracy Foundation * Minbyun

Liberal presidents in South Korea

Yun Bo-seon Yun Po-sun (; or ; August 26, 1897 – July 18, 1990) was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the second president of South Korea from 1960 to 1962. He was the only president of the parliamentary Second Republic of Korea. H ...

(Democratic) (1960–1962) *

( National Congress for New Politics→ Millennium Democratic Party) (1998–2003) *

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

(Millennium Democratic Party→ Uri Party→

United New Democratic Party The Grand Unified Democratic New Party (; GUDNP) was a political party of South Korea. It was formed out of the Uri Party and its resulting splinter groups. Chung Dong-young was the UNDP candidate in the 2007 South Korean presidential election; h ...

) (2003–2008) *

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (; ; born 24 January 1953) is a South Korean former politician, civil servant and lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs an ...

( Democratic) (2017–2022)

Major liberal parties election results of South Korea

Presidential elections

Legislative elections

Local elections

Notes

References

{{Asia topic, Liberalism in Political history of South Korea Korean nationalism Civic nationalism Korean independence movement